“The Buck Stops Here” defines the unfashionable notion of personal
responsibility. Since you accept this every time you ride, you’re more likely
than most to understand the attitude of Harry Truman. When told about the
danger of Mt St Helens erupting, he said “If it’s gonna take me, let it come
and get me.” In May of 1980 the mountain obliged, burying him, his pink ‘57
Caddy and his lodge at Spirit Lake in a geologic gotterdammerung containing
21,000 times the energy of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. But Harry would be
amazed at nature’s miraculous powers of recuperation. Barely 20 years later,
more and more motorcycles — some pretty explosively powered themselves — are
springing up on the fertile new growth of excellent Pavement and Engineering
found here. Twistiness is a blast, tending towards lengthy, uphill, wide-open
sweepiness. Since no one’s alive up here any more, Remoteness past Toutle is
high. And once you climb from the unspectacular North Fork Toutle River valley
bottom into the blast zone at Hoffstadt Bridge, you’ll find yourself in an
increasingly surreal, otherworldly moonscape that is right off the Scenery
seismographic scale. Harry always claimed, “I’d die down there, being away
from this place.” After you scrape the knees of your racing leathers on this
DH, you too will see why the pucks stop here.

"An
absolutely fantastic road! Floorboard-draggin' riders may not find this road
as fun as the sporties because this road is like an asphalt roller coaster
ride! This road BEGS to be ridden FAST! Novice riders need to exercise caution
until they get familiar with it, as it's all too easy to find yourself facing
oncoming traffic or sailing over the edge of a hundred foot plus drop. This
road is close to heaven after Labor Day when most of the tourists are gone.
More leisurely riders need to keep in mind sporties often pass on the yellow
line as there are few sections to pass. I just move to the left half of my
lane, wave them past and wish 'em the best ride of their lives because, it
really doesn't get much better than this road."--Craig

"This road absolutely begs to be ridden well above the posted speed limits! After riding DHs 2, 3 & 4 in one day, I'd almost
make this my # 2 choice over DH2. If for no other reason than the condition of the pavement."--B
"Grinch" Francis